You'll never pass on a round of Gwent!

The flute player danced to the sassy melody of the current song passage, while the colorfully dressed lute player plucked the strings of his instrument with unexpected swiftness. Tightly clad women swayed their hips to the beat of the song in sweeping movements and occasionally bent forward to allow the onlookers a deeper insight into their charming neckline.

In the front area was mostly a male audience, which shouted explicit remarks to the entertainers and applauded loudly. One of the dancers approached with confident steps and sensual hip movements one of the bawling men and pushed him playfully to the floor. He gave in to her without resistance and looked longingly at her body, while the dancer smugly curled her lips to an arrogant grin.

The tempo of the flute playing was increased. She moved closer to him before she touched his chin with her index finger and forced him to look directly into her eyes. Lasciviously she licked her lips before turning around and bending forward with a surprisingly graceful movement to present her scantily clad behind to the man. Playfully she wiggled her hips, the lower halves of her butt cheeks flashing out before the man slapped her buttocks hard with his flat hand. The mob roared as the woman stood upright again and playfully rebuked the man for his behavior, before she joined the other dance members again and continued the program, wearing a visible red hand mark on the affected area.

Livia had watched the vulgar performance of the female sex with drawn-up eyebrows and was dismayed to discover that she was more than envious of the size of the bust of each lady. With lips pressed tightly together, she tried to squint as unobtrusively as possible at her upper body, but due to the tension, the discreet base of a double chin became apparent. In addition, she narrowed her eyes angrily at the sight of her small bosom. The amused look of the vampire escaped her.

After a while Livia crossed her arms in frustration in front of her petite upper body and looked at Dettlaff in a searching manner. "Do you like this performance?"

The addressed man tilted his head slightly and looked down on her almost presumptuously. "What exactly am I supposed to like?" The pleasantly deep voice contained a teasing undertone, while his striking blue-grey eyes attentively patterned her face.

Livia noticed an unpleasant heat rising in her cheeks and did not know how to react to this obvious challenge. Embarrassed, she cleared her throat before she pointed with a sweeping gesture of her hand at the musicians and the women dancing in the foreground. "Well... All of that." The young woman had to swallow hard, as she had difficulty withstanding his intense gaze.

The corners of the vampire's mouth twitched treacherously before he turned completely towards her and now, with arms also crossed, gave Livia an amused look. "I guess I must disappoint you in two respects. Firstly, the music is too primitive for me and secondly, the human body is too unattractive for me to enjoy it."

The green eyes of the young woman were widened in surprise before she frowned in confusion. "I do not understand."

"The human body is weak, prone to disease, ages and has nothing in common with my kind."

She had not expected this answer. The alchemist gasped audibly for breath and stared at Dettlaff with open mouth in disbelief. Insecurity overcame her. To her knowledge, the incident in Beauclair happened because his HUMAN lover had betrayed him, which in turn led her to the question of how vampires define and live out a romantic relationship. Both Dettlaff and Regis usually took their human form, which is why she implied that their image of love life was similar to that of humans. Do vampires only love on a platonic level and generally prefer partners of their own kind? The short life span of humans would indeed be a very big disadvantage in this respect.

She blinked just before she made an attempt to change the subject. "Well, I originally wanted to play a few rounds of Gwent. You know that card game?"

"I have heard of it already, but I have not dwelt on it."

She exhaled with relief. "It doesn't matter. I'll explain the basics and play a few practice rounds with you before things get serious."

Dettlaff raised an eyebrow. "Serious?"

"Of course it's getting serious! Because Gwent is not simply -only- a card game. It's a philosophy! There are individual cards for almost every race, but it should be noted that all factions have different advantages and disadvantages. The characteristics of the cards are similar to the characteristics of the respective people, making the game extremely authentic and lively! It is a battle! Man against man. Already the coin toss at the beginning provides the pure thrill! Who wants to take the starting position in the first round? Come on now! Let's find a place to play."

The overwhelming euphoric outburst of the young woman made the vampire pause for a moment. During her expressive monologue she did not notice the budding soft expression in Dettlaff's eyes while his facial features relaxed.

Benches and tables had been set up along the sandbank as well as inside various festively decorated fishermen's huts for the social gathering. Barmaids squeezed their way through the narrow corridors with the ordered drinks and regularly spilled some on the celebrating people. Colorful garlands of flowers adorned the whole place and announced the lively springtime. On the horizon the last rays of the sun shone over the lake and tinted it a shimmering red, while some eager young men were already piling up logs for the bonfire. In the distance the excited chirping of courtship display birds could be heard, and a mild breeze gently swayed the numerous buds up and down along scrawny branches.

Livia chose a more secluded spot near the shore and with a wave of her hand indicated to Dettlaff to settle down on the opposite side. She rummaged through her packed backpacks for a short time before she pulled out a richly decorated wooden box.

"Look and be astonished! These are my unbeatable winning decks."

The vampire crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at her with a waiting look. However, Livia seemed to have expected a completely different reaction from the vampire.

"Come on now! Show a little more enthusiasm! At least I'll introduce you to the art of card playing."

"If I understand correctly, card playing is merely as a pastime and has no essential use."

"Wow." Livia looked at Dettlaff with complete bewilderment. "Fun is a foreign concept to you, isn't it?"

"I think that our ideas of fun are different."

She scratched her neck briefly. "All right. Let's try it another way." The young woman tightened her posture and leaned forward further. "I think that Gwent would be a good base to teach you some of the ways people behave."

Dettlaff raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"As mentioned before, there are different factions and these in turn are divided into further sub-classes. Let's take a closer look at the "monster" faction, for example." With routine movements Livia opened the box and pulled out the corresponding deck. "There are insectoids, necrophages, the Wild Hunt, beasts, vampires and more. Each of these classes brings certain advantages and thus allows the game to develop a suitable strategy for the game".

"Hmmmmm." Dettlaff's deep voice made Livia pause. His gaze glided to the wooden box with Livia's remaining cards. He pulled out one of the upper ones and looked at it thoughtfully. "What faction is this?"

A joyful smile spread on Livia's lips, due to Dettlaff's serious attempt to master the card game. She leaned over the table to him and lightly tapped the picture. "This is the Nilfgardian faction. As in reality, this deck is used to try to get the opponent's units on its side. This unit card is called Sweers."

The vampire examined the back of the card and then looked at Livia questioningly. "The cards contain only images and individual symbols. How do you know the name of this card?"

The young woman rolled her eyes as she sat back. "Every Gwent player knows the names of the cards." Her tone suggested that this was absolute basic knowledge. "But you probably didn't notice the artist in Beauclair..."

Dettlaff, shaking his head, grabbed the rest of the Nilfgardian faction's pile and looked at the individual cards more closely.

"Now, there is a Gwent-authorized cartographer in Beauclair. He depicts important personalities or beings that seem interesting to him on individual cards and has them reproduced using the letterpress process. Usually he keeps the originals, true unique pieces I tell you! I have been dreaming of such a card for years, but unfortunately there has been no opportunity to acquire such a card so far. Since the artist doesn't like to sell his works, you can imagine the market value of the few that are in circulation. "

Their conversation dragged on for a long time before Livia came in to go into detail about the individual rules and play the first practice round with Dettlaff.

When it ended she looked at him expectantly. "Well? Did I promise too much?"

The vampire drove thoughtfully over his chin. "I think it's too early to make a statement. Would you mind playing another round with me?"

Joyfully excited, the alchemist blinked before nodding her approval and Dettlaff hesitantly returned her smile.

The midnight blue sky was covered with stars, which shimmered on the surface of the lake. Meanwhile, the mood among the celebrants was exuberant, the instrumental accompaniment became more monosyllabic and only a few of them managed to produce a straight sentence. Near the torches that had been set up, were large flocks of moths, some of which had already fallen victim to the flames and, burnt to death, were giving off their last twitches on the ground.

For the young alchemist this was a complete culture shock. In Toussaint, wine and water was served at various festivities. Here, only beer and heavy drink was served. She darkly remembered her resolution never to drink alcohol again, but had to discard it for lack of alternatives. She sipped her second beer, her cheeks slightly reddened and her mouth twisted a bit in a disgruntled mood. "Do you like this gnat's piss ?"

"No. The taste is too simple. Has Regis ever offered you any of his homemade distillates?"

The young woman groaned in agony and struck her hand against her forehead. Amused, Dettlaff looked at the slightly reddened face of Livia. He bent over the table a little and looked at her piercingly. "You can't stand alcohol." It was not a question, but a statement.

"I beg you! You can't compare pears to apples. Regi's homemade brandy should not be put on the same level as other alcoholic beverages. This drink has the power to transport someone to another dimension!" Frustrated, she scratched her head. "That was the worst hangover of my life and I hope I will never, NEVER experiance such a shit again."

A warm smile reached Dettlaff's lips. "You're still young and you're gonna do some stupid things."

The young woman sighed loudly after this reply. "How old are you? What are your youthful indiscretions?"

The vampire was about to respond when Livia's attention drifted away from him and she spotted the man behind Dettlaff instead, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere out of the darkness. The dark brown eyes resembled two black coals due to the sparse ambient lighting, while at the same time the mischievousness in them could be seen. He had a prominent broad nose, scattered birthmarks on his face, a bald head and an almost eerie smile on his lips. At first sight he looked like an ordinary, though extremely well-groomed, inhabitant of the village, but after a few seconds his consensual aura began to take effect due to his facial expressions and gestures. He seemed mysterious and dangerous at the same time, but the smile was too mischievous that the young woman could not take her eyes off him.

"I see that there is a game going on here. May I join you?"

Only at that moment Livia noticed that she had smiled at the unknown man since his appearance. "You're right, sir, but I'm just teaching my friend the basics of Gwent. I doubt you'd want to play against a beginner"

The eyes of the man flashed lurking as he rubbed his hands in joyful excitement. "I am not a fine gentleman, merely a master of mirrors." He made an outwardly deep bow to them both. "Gaunter O'Dimm at your service."

Livia already stood up during the bow of the unknown man and also indicated a small one. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Gaunter. My name is Livia Moreau."

Now also the vampire rose and looked at the stranger with the striking yellow hood. Dettlaff's jaws tightened as he look at Gaunter. Livia seemed to notice nothing of the vampire's tension and took over the introduction for the black-haired man. "This is Dettlaff van der Eretein." For a moment the vampire seemed to be distracted as he gave Livia a quick sideways glance.

Gaunter tilted his head a bit, while his smile became even wider. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Turning to Livia, he continued in a cheerful tone. "I would be honored to play against such a beautiful young woman."

The alchemist was unsure whether she should accept Gaunter's compliment. His manner was not as clumsy as that of most men and he seemed to choose his words carefully, even playing with them and enjoying their sheer use.

"Of course we can play a round."

Gaunter clapped his hands and sat down on Dettlaff's seat. The vampire's gaze remained dark as he walked around the table with slow steps to finally sit down next to Livia, touching hers with his thigh. Livia blinked in confusion and gave him a questioning look because of the unexpected physical approach, but was soon distracted by Gaunter's exclamation. He ordered three shots of a high-proof brandy from the bartender before turning to Livia again.

"A game of luck like Gwent is, in my opinion, a very fine thing. You can only influence it to a certain extent with tactics and strategy, but if you are unlucky, no matter how clever you are and how you play, you will lose. And it's that attribute that makes Gwent so interesting. Don't you agree, my dear Livia?"

She heard Dettlaff exhale sharply beside her when her name was mentioned, while he pressed his muscular thigh more firmly against hers. She noticed that Dettlaff had not spoken a single word in front of Gaunter. Thoughtfully she frowned, unsure how she should continue to behave in this situation. "Um, yes. I guess you can't win without any luck."

"I must confess I thought you'd be more enthusiastic about gambling. Gwent offers a variety of factions, countless strategies. Your opponent's first card, which reveals which faction they are playing with. Does the opponent know his deck's strengths and weaknesses? How good is his strategy and combination skills, and most importantly, what is his opponent willing to bet on?"

The word bet did not fail to have an effect on Livia. She was on fire and wanted to pursue her weakness for gambling. Gaunter seemed to share her thinking about this card game, which excited her all the more.

"I'm in! What's the bet?"

The bartender put three small wooden drinking vessels on the table and returned immediately to process the next orders.

"Well, I'm a opponent of cash stakes, but I have a proposition for you. If you win, I will give you something that contains the truth. If you lose," his eyes turned to Dettlaff for a barely noticeable moment, "I will present you with a lie."

Livia pinched her eyes together thoughtfully. "Excuse me, that must be the alcohol, because I don't quite follow. It doesn't matter if i win or lose, you're giving me something. Did I understand you correctly?"

A demonic grin was on his lips. "You got it. Losers and winners aren't apparent at first glance." Gaunter took his drinking vessel and saluted Livia, who returned his gesture and quickly tipped down the high-proof brandy. The effect was not long in coming. She felt an unpleasant burning in her throat, while the heat suddenly increased on her cheeks. Gaunter lifted up his empty cup and signaled the barmaid that he wanted to have a second round.

In the meantime Livia had decided on a deck and handed it to Gaunter for shuffling. While shuffling her opponent's cards, she turned to Dettlaff. "I've already explained the basics, so you should understand the rough flow of the game. If there are steps you don't understand, I'll be happy to explain them later."

"Livia, you shouldn't be playing this game." Worried, he looked into her green eyes.

The alcohol seemed to work gradually. "Oh, Dettlaff." She leaned against the vampire and laid her head on his shoulder, deliberately ignoring the sudden tension of the man. "Why don't you relax a little? Nobody has dared to come to our table all evening! Now there is one and you chase him away again with your eerie appearance. Let's have some fun!"

She didn't let him get a word in and returned the cards to Gaunter.

"Dettlaff, maybe you'd like to flip the coin? Your flip will decide if luck is on Livia's side or not."

Dettlaff threw a threatening glance at Gaunter, which would have made anyone else at the party run for its life by screaming. Reluctantly, he grabbed the coin and flicked it in the air.

The game began and Livia was more than excited. Gaunter looked at her smiling. "Heads or tails?"

Euphorically she slammed her fist on the table. "Head!"

Luck seemed to smile on her. Gaunter would open the game.

After she had played her first card, her opponent laughed. "Vampires?"

"Yes. This monster faction is underrated by most! With the ability to bleed, the opponent is permanently weakened over the rounds, while there is a second ability that is much more powerful."

"Which is?"

"Vampires are not loners. They owe their strength to their pack instinct. Individually they may be weak, but together they are unbeatable. A very romantic circumstance, don't you think?"

Gaunter laughed loudly and made his move, while Dettlaff watched Livia with an inscrutable look. The second round of brandy was served and Livia cheered to Gaunter.

During the third round, silence reigned. Livia had to concentrate, which was visibly difficult for her to do without making a mistake. But when Gaunter played his last card she jumped from the bench, cheering. Her opponent applauded her while Dettlaff continued to remain silent.

"Amazing! I haven't had such a serious opponent in a long time. I had so much fun playing against you!"

"You deserved to win. Here's your prize." With that he pulled a gwent card out of his pocket.

Livia fell silent instantly, while Dettlaff fell into a state of rigidity.

"I don't think you're familiar with this card?"

"It's an original card." Her voice had taken on a devout tone. She swallowed hard. "But... this motive... it..."

"With this, I take my leave for today. It was a pleasure to meet you and your extraordinary partner." By the time Livia could tear her eyes from the card, Gaunter had already disappeared. Once again she glanced at the portrait of an abnormal monstrosity. This creature seemed to have come straight from hell. It had no eyes but sharp fangs, huge wings, clawed hands and a very distinctive skin structure.

"I am glad that the gods came to fetch me and gave me this card by way of detours, but what the hell is this monstrosity?"

"Livia, you should never have accepted this game." Dettlaff's tone was cold, and when the young alchemist looked at him, he stood up with his back turned to her and took quick steps to get away from her.